Let Love In
by BamDaBam
Summary: The world is breaking around Sara. Ecklie has gotten wind of the office romance and threatens everything she’s has worked for. Plus a seven year old close case sets free the killer that has Sara set on edge. GSR Brass and Sara Friendship.
1. Chapter 1

Let Love In

Summary: The world is breaking around Sara. Ecklie has gotten wind of the office romance and threatens everything she's has worked for. Plus a seven year old close case sets free the killer that has Sara set on edge. Will she make it through this or will she fall of the edge of reason? GSR/Brass and Sara Friendship.

Disclaimer: Somebody owns this, that somebody is not me.

Chapter One

_Her lips curved upward as his hand crept up her side. She could feel the fire through the touch of his hand but it was the look in his eye that made her burn. He had cornered her against the wall, his heated gaze moving up and down her thin clad body._

_"Stop it." She muttered but his lips just arched upward. "Why?" He asked, his other hand joining his brother on her hips._

_"One, we're at a charity Ball with the under sheriff, Ecklie-Not to mention the major." His eyebrow hiked up, "The major's here?" He gave a turn of his head, mocking her words. "Two, if we're found god knows what will happen."_

_Yet her words had no effect on him. His hands crept higher and her eyes nearly fluttered close. "I just want a kiss." His whisper sent his breath rolling down her neck. One eye lazily opened and her own grin smeared onto her face. "Then kiss me." Her voice was barely heard over the playing band._

_If his hands hadn't pinned her to the wall, she swore she would be on the ground at the moment. His lips sent her blood boiling. She could feel her own hands creeping up his chest. Just a kiss, she thought as his tongue entered her mouth. Just a kiss my ass. His hands were suddenly cupping her face and she was drowning in him. Her hands clutched the front of his evening suit, hoping to save her from falling into deep. His lips finally left hers but didn't move themselves from her being. They moved down the side of her face to her neck. Without even meaning to, she leaned her head back, her eyes slowly opening._

_The painful shove brought him back. He pulled away and looked at her in bewilderment. She was staring over his shoulder in horror and he turned, his stomach immediately dropping in doing so. Ecklie stood there, his eyes a bit wide and his lips slightly parted. He stood there and she swore it was forever before he turned, walking away from them._

_She kept her self up by holding onto the wall, her eyes still watching the spot where Ecklie had stood. A wave of discomfort crashed upon her. She turned her gaze to the back of his head, his body looking tense. "I should-""Go." He finished for her. She nodded and walked passed him instantly without another word. Her exit seemed to have gone unnoticed, which she was slightly grateful for, and her way down to the parking went quietly. Once safely in her car she was hit with the realization that their secret was now discovered and in her mind, this couldn't end happily._

_----_

Nick Stokes could sense trouble 3 miles away, Sara learned. Warrick Brown always seemed to have the right things to say when troubles arise. And Catherine Willows always gave the 'I told you so' look when the time was not right. Greg…Well Greg always wanted a peace treaty in the work place. He didn't like trouble. And Sara couldn't blame the kid. She didn't like trouble either but it seemed that trouble always found her.

Today trouble reeked the halls, the smell lingering in the break room, the halls, and Grissom's office. The locker room seemed to be the only place for her to stay. For the first time she felt afraid to face this problem. No, afraid wasn't a close enough word. Petrified. That was a great word to explain it. She was petrified. And it wasn't of Ecklie. It was of him. Of Grissom and his terminology of how he would fix this. Her eyes closed and her head slipped into her hands. This was up to him and her heart wished it wasn't.

----

His glasses were slipping down his nose at a fast rate while he looked over his assignments. Regular DB, a decomp, and a Robbery. He would be pairing tonight. His mind, lucky him, had been everywhere but the issue at hand. He had steered clear of Ecklie, not know if he was looking for him or not. He checked his calls carefully, even though there had not been many, and his pager. Paranoia was gripping him, he noticed. In his mind he hoped that Ecklie thought he had imagined the whole incident..

He pushed his glasses higher and slipped behind his desk. He picked up a few files and set them aside before tackling his paperwork. If he could calm his nerves before setting off to cases tonight, it would be better for everyone. He hadn't been able to bring himself to Sara. What he had done was completely the opposite of what he should have done. He had returned to the party for 20 more minutes, not bring himself to confront Ecklie before leaving and spent the rest of the night pacing. Not a great start.

"Grissom?" The CSI looking up from his work to his door. Ecklie stood there, his arms crossed in a stern stance. So much for hiding. "Conrad. " He said as pleasantly as he could. Ecklie didn't smile his normal sickly smile. He frowned deeply and took a step in, closing the door. Grissom sighed and looked down at the papers in front of him.

"We need to talk-" Grissom raised his eyebrow, "Really?" He mocked and caught his tongue. If Ecklie was going to give him hell he would try not to piss him off anymore then he was. Ecklie walked forward, easing himself in a chair. "About the other night…"

Grissom looked up at him once more, his mouth staying firmly shut. He wasn't going to say anything. He figured he would let Ecklie talk his way and maybe Grissom could a few words in at the end. Ecklie wanted for Grissom's reply and when there was none, he sighed. "What you did…could have disgraced the lab." His words cut through Grissom's mind and he reframed himself from looking stunned. "Being engaged with a fellow CSI in that kind of way is…unbelievable. What if the Sheriff saw? The Major?" He raised his voice at the mention of the major.

"Ecklie-" "Gil, I knew you were close with her and I ignored it. That was bad on my part. I should have stopped before you two got ahead of each other." He paused, watching his words take effect. "And…" Grissom slowly drawled out. Ecklie stood and leaned across the desk. "Gil, your entering dangerous ground. If you don't end this now…I'll have to end one of you…Who do you think the lab needs more?" He said, his words weighing heavy in the air. "Think about it, Gil." He turned and exited out door.

Grissom sat there for a moment, taking it all in. Finally his eyes closed shut, ignoring the sounds of the lab. This was bad. He thought. His hand came up, removed his glasses allowing him to rub the bridge of his nose.

'If you don't end this now…l'll have to end one of you…'

TBC

A/N: I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I'll enjoy writing it. Please don't forget to review and tell me what you think. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Let Love In

A/N: Alright. It only takes one bad review for me to go hunting for a Beta. Sooo…Is there anyone out there wanting to be my beta. /smile/ If so I would be so grateful. You may email me at Pandakoi at gmail Enjoy! Even with minor mistakes. XD

Chapter Two

_"Sara…"_

She could feel her skin ripping from the sharp edges of the key.

_"Honey, please…don't cry."_

Why did this surprise her? The pain, the agony?

_"I should have…"_

Her hand released the key. The sound of the metal hitting the cold floor broke her from the inside.

_"I could have…."_

Why did it not surprise she wasn't crying?

_"I would have…"_

"Shut up." She murmured, her voice barely rising above a whisper. She was sure he heard it because he went silent. Her cloudy eyes stared down at the mess in her hand. Small jagged marks from the key had cut into her hand, leaving them angry and vicious looking. She heard him take a deep breath and she could feel his mind buzzing.

_"He's right…Even if we weren't caught then…"_

She closed her wounded hand and looked back at him, her face as plain as her white collared shirt. "I understand…This wouldn't have worked out anyway." Her own words sent volts of shock through her. Lies, lies and lies. She told herself in her mind. It could have worked out. It could have!

_"…It was…"_

"It was fun while it lasted." She heard herself say, not sure if she had control over what she said. Better have her say it before he did. Before he broke any other piece of her that was intact. She soon found herself walking down the stairs then in a flash she was in her car, driving through stop signs and crossing double lines, and in another flash she was climbing her stairs, her keys jiggling softly.

She had seen many bad romance movies break when the girl gets through her door and shatter before she could even set her keys down. If life was only that less dramatic. She thought as she dumped her keys in the bowl. She shed off her jacket on her way to the bathroom. Half way there she froze, her eyes landing on a book.

_"Sara…I should have never asked you to do this. I could have been much stronger then I was when Nick was kidnapped. But I want to thank you for being there. I would have never gotten through it with out you…Honey, please…don't cry…He's right…If we weren't caught then we could have destroyed our whole career….It was-"_

"It was nice while it lasted…" She finished picking up the book that Grissom had given her. A small blood smear was left on the spine as she dumped it in the trash. "But I thought we could have last longer…" She found herself by her bathroom door, unable to stop the pain wavering through her torn body. And just like a bad romance movie, she thought, it would get a lot worse before it ever, if it could, get better.

_TBC_

A.N: I meant the whole beta thing…really folks…alright I won't push. Hoped you enjoyed this SHORT chapter. XD


	3. Chapter 3

Let Love In

A.N: I want to give a special thanks to Print Dust for taking time from her life to beta this. If it had just been me, I would have killed it...Anyway, read and enjoy!

Chapter Three

_There is love of course. And then there's life, its enemy – Jean Anouilh _

She never thought of Grissom as being a cruel individual or a person who would inflict on another direct and intentional pain. If the air around him became tension filled, she knew he would run. Or at least he had lived most of his life that way: running. Hiding behind his desk that to him had some mystical powers that protection. But whatever old Grissom remained from the relationship no longer showed. No, if she was correct it was like the tables had turned. Their roles reversed.

Sara felt her feet drag down the empty hall leading her toward Doc Robbins. Grissom had paired her with him on a robbery gone badly. She had been horrified when Grissom approached her, and nearly spilled her coffee over Nick's head.

As Grissom briefed her all she could think was how he felt when she had cornered him in beginning. He seemed completely oblivious to the tension building around him: her shoulders stiffening, her eyes becoming glassy, her hands holding a slight tremble. Part of her hated him for not waiting. For not waiting for her to pretend that he never caused her so much pain.

_"Is it too late?" _

She was amazed that the pain he had caused her hadn't moved her to tears. She had been through breakups and in most of them she had poured her heart out into her pillow. But when she had gotten home that day she had been able to do no more than stare at her bathroom wall, although not sure what was really happening. Maybe he knew he had made her cry and this could explain his reaction to her. Pairing her with him.

Grissom was not a heartless monster but she knew that he could be hurtful without meaning to. She also knew that she couldn't put all the blame on him because this was just as much as her fault as it was his. She just couldn't allow herself to think about the 'what ifs' or 'could have beens'. No, not now. Not when it hit so close to home and she was in such a dangerous place. Heaven forbid if she did break down in front of a co-worker.

She passed through the two swinging doors, expecting to see David or at least the Doc but stopped dead when Grissom turned to her. God no, she thought. He's everywhere. No escaping the boss. For a split second in her life, this could have been a hysterical moment for her. But she controlled that part of her and masked her surprise with a confused look.

_"Because I would like to give 'this' a chance…I would like to give 'us' a chance."_

"What are you doing here?" She asked walking around the table so she could be as far away from him as possible. He didn't seem to take notice of that.

"I never said I wasn't going to show." He replied. She nodded and looked down at the dead body that was separating them. They both fell into silence and Sara felt the tension began to build once more. And once more he seemed completely oblivious to her discomfort. In the back of her head she thought this was his way of payback. Of all those damn years of her torturing him she could now see why he ran. She wanted to run. She wanted to lock herself away in a bug book or a crossword puzzle and forget about this lingering feeling. God, was this really what he felt?

"Sara…I-"Her eyes had leaped up to his and saw questions, etched into his face, laced in his eyes. What? What did he want now?

"I'm so-"The swinging doors opened and the Doc walked in with David trailing closely behind. She watched as the two paused briefly and she knew at the moment that the tension she felt was really there. "Should we-"Robbins' pointed over his shoulder to the door.

"No." Sara answered quickly rewarding her a look from Grissom. "No, we're ready." She slowly drawled. Grissom nodded along, "Yes, we're ready." He repeated finally dragging his eyes away from her.

Robbins took his place at the table and Sara lingered next to him, strict about not being any closer to Grissom than this. Thank you to small favors; she could feel the tension ease slowly from her as they watched the Doc work. She would remind herself later to thank David for allowing her to hover by the Doc's side.

She was tired as she stepped out of the room. She could feel her knee's tremble and her body begging to rest. She could leave, she thought. She could leave to sleep and eat. Her shift was over and there wasn't anything keeping her there.

She tugged off the gloves and threw them away in a nearby trash. "Sara!" She looked over her shoulder and slowed down when she saw David walking after her. If he asks about the tension just deny it, she thought. "Hey Dave." She muttered tiredly.

"Hey." He chirped, pushing his glasses higher. She smiled at his cute stance, slightly nervous but never holding back.

"I just wanted to give you this." He handed her a white envelope and Sara frowned.

"It's the invitation." He told her noticing her look. Her frown deepened before it suddenly hit her. The wedding! She glanced at him with a beaming look that wasn't forced. She couldn't form words but smiled at him happily.

"You are going to come-"David was cut off before he could finish by Sara hugging him tightly. "Nothing in the world would stop me from coming, Super Dave." She felt him return her hug and immediately her problems were momentarily forgotten.

"I'm so happy for you, I really am." She pulled away to give him a silly grin. She stepped back, releasing him. "Don't worry- I'm going to be there. Promise." She said.

"Thank you, Sara." He gave her once last smile before turning away. That's when she saw him, standing there with a strange frown on his face. "Grissom." David said nodding. Grissom returned his nodded and walked toward her.

Once David was gone from sight and Grissom and Sara shared an empty hall, she felt all her depression swing back. He stopped a few feet away, his hand holding a folder while the other one was hiding in his pocket. Without even trying, she knew what that look in his eyes meant. She shifted, "It was the invitation to the wedding." Her voice came out as a whisper but she felt like it echoed in the hall.

He handed her the folder and left her standing in the hall with a blank face. She listened as his footsteps disappear and she looked down at the file in despair. She couldn't take this. Not if it was going to be like this everyday for the rest of her career in Vegas. Her hand gripped the folder tightly as her mind buzzed with an idea.

Tomorrow she would talk and make a deal with the devil, even if that meant selling her soul.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Let Love In

A.N: Not much of a chapter here but enjoy it anyway! Sorry for taking a while. Life got crazy but I'm back and ready to go on! Thank you for all the nice reviews:)

Chapter Four

_'I was blown away.  
What could I say?  
It all seemed to make sense.  
You've taken away everything,  
And I can't deal with that.  
I try to see the good in life,  
But good things in life are hard to find.' – Chris Daughtry "It's not over"_

_"I can't do it." As he talked he didn't even bother to look up._

Sara stared at the wall across from her, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. Sofia, who was sitting next to her, leaned toward their suspect. Sara had realized that she had not said more then 5 words in this whole interrogation and yet she didn't really care.

_"Why?" Her voice lashing out at him. Somehow she found herself wanting to pay him back for breaking the great bond between her and Grissom._

She didn't notice the officers escort their suspect out of the room until Sofia touched her shoulder lightly. "Sara, are you alright?" The CSI turned her head toward the detective and gave her a confused stare. "What?"

Sofia scanned the room before turning her gaze back at Sara. "Its over." She stated.

_"Because a case was just reopened and it was one of yours." Finally his eyes came up to meet hers. Sara felt her body stiffen and suddenly that tired feeling came over her once more. "Which one?" She asked, not really wanting to know._

"Oh…right." Sara smiled weakly and turned to collect the papers still on the table. Sofia continued to watch the CSI wondering if she could prod deeper. After a few seconds she cleared her throat. "This wouldn't have to do with the reopening of the Shelton case?"

Sara slowed her paper shuffling to a stop to look at Sofia. The two women stood there, eyes locked for a moment. "No. Nothing." Sofia could tell but the sound of her voice that this was a dangerous conversation to be having. Sofia nodded and moved out of the way. "Alright."

_"Shelton case. He hired a new lawyer and an insect specialist." Sara raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "We proved that the blanket was tight around the body." She said, pushing down a pinch of worry. This was a joke and not a funny one at that. "And that's why their going to disprove Grissom's findings. You need to be one this case. Understand." No, she didn't._

* * *

She hadn't talk to Grissom about the case reopening. She knew she should but she felt like pushing it off the last moment if possible. She did however talk to Brass about the case. He actually has called her into his office for a little chat and Sara had gone willing.

"This is bullshit." He muttered lounging in his office chair. She had seated herself on his couch, her eyes glancing over the photos on the wall. "There's nothing to prove. He's guilty as sin and now he's trying to prove that he's innocent."

"It's been what…7 years." Sara asked. Brass looked at her and nodded, "Yeah." He answered. She went silent and sighed, falling back onto the leather couch. He watched her for a moment, "Have you talked to Grissom?" Sara's eyes snapped to him and saw gentleness in his eyes. "What-"

"You think I'm stupid? I use to be a CSI remember. I know how to read people almost better then Grissom. I know something was going on and I know that something happened. Mind letting me in?" He asked. She watched him intensely. Finally she tore her eyes away and stared back at the wall. "He told me…No." She murmured softly.

Brass understood what she meant. Grissom had came to him asking for advice from him about that problem. He had told the short version, not giving him any details on how the relationship started. Grissom had asked what he should do and Brass told him this; "Ecklie's aiming for Sara's job, not yours. If you really want to keep this relationship together then give the job up." And did he listen?

Not by the looks of it.

"I'm sorry." Said Brass, his words gentle. Sara shrugged, a long sigh escaping her. "I knew what was coming, really." She turned her head so she could look at him, a weak smile faint on her lips. "I just wondered how hard it was for him to say stop."

It was now Jim's time to sigh. "I'm sure much harder for him then it was for you to walk away." He replied.

And for a long time in her life, Sara was speechless. He was right.

TBC


End file.
